Healing Wings
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Bella is now a vampire and Jasper's mate. She is still recovering from a beating that was given to her by her now ex-husband, Mike Newton. But she's fallen in love with Jasper. What's next? This story is the sequel to Flightless Bird. You might want to read that first before this one. This will make more sense if you read the other first.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Here is the beginnings of a sequel to Flightless Bird. I don't know how this will work out but we'll give it a try.

* * *

A puzzled look crossed Bella's face at Alice's words. "Your eyes. They started out red and then faded to the beautiful brown they were when you were human." She sent another look at Carlisle asking for an explanation.

"I don't know why, Bella," Carlisle began, correctly interpreting the young woman's question. "Maybe that's your talent. The ability to change your appearance to allow you to blend in completely. We'll have to wait and see."

Bella put a hand to her throat, indicating that she could feel the burning sensation in her throat. "You're thirsty, darlin'. We'll need to take you for a hunt."

She looked up at Jasper with sorrow in her eyes. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Carlisle bent down into her line of sight. "There is no guarantee that you'll be able to speak again. The change usually cures all physical defects. But there is the possibility that the change couldn't fix the problem soon enough. It may just take a little more time."

"But what about with Esme? The change healed all of her injuries."

"This is something a little more severe than broken bones, Alice. And the injury has been evident for almost a year now. I don't know what kind of effect that would have on the change. As I said, it's possible that the change will still fix her larynx. It may just take a little more time. We'll have to just wait and see."

 _'I hate waiting.'_ Bella was pouting and Jasper chuckled. The sound vibrated deep in his chest. Bella felt a shudder go through her at the thought of what the two of them could do now.

"Bella, are you alright, darlin'?" Jasper asked. The vibrations of his voice continued to send strange feelings through the newborn in his arms.

Jasper decided that the best thing he could do is turn her over to someone else for her first hunt. It wouldn't be right for him to go when all he wanted to do was lay her down and have his way with her. His lust raged through his body and he noticed that the others were all twitching as well. He quickly tamped down the emotion and looked up at the rest of his family apologetically. "Sorry."

Alice knelt down beside them. "Bella, can I take you for your first hunt?" The hope in her eyes shot straight to Bella's heart and she knew that she couldn't tell her best friend no. There would be plenty of time for her and Jasper to be together after her thirst was slaked. She nodded. Alice squealed with glee.

Jasper helped her to her feet and she stretched up to kiss him. Lips met and parted. She threaded her hands through his tousled blond locks and pulled as if to bring him closer.

Carlisle flinched a little and cleared his throat. The two of them broke apart. Bella looked more than a little embarrassed. _'Sorry.'_

"We're both sorry, Carlisle. I guess that blood-lust isn't the only hunger that we have to deal with now." Jasper smiled apologetically at his family before turning to Bella. "Go with Alice now, darlin'. I'll take care of the other later. I promise."

Edward cringed at the thought that flashed through Jasper's mind. It was pretty graphic.

Jasper noticed the move out of the corner of his eye. He looked at Edward as he urged Bella to follow Alice. Esme and Rose decided that this was a situation where they wouldn't be needed and thought they could go with Alice and Bella for the first hunt.

"Rose, where you going, baby?"

"I think the testosterone is going to be getting a little deep around here in a moment or two. It would be a good idea if we left now."

Emmett nodded sadly and watched his mate walk away. But he figured he'd better stay in order to make sure that neither of his brothers killed the other. He had noticed the look that had crossed Edward's face when Jasper made his promise.

"Did you have to picture that?" Edward hissed.

"Edward, I can't always control the thoughts that run through my head. It's not as easy as you make it sound. I've been wanting Bella since the night of her birthday ten years ago. I just stayed away because I thought that Carlisle was right. We owed it to you to do as you had asked. And everyone made their disappointment in me crystal clear. Most everyone probably thought that I had lost control of the blood-lust. Everyone but Bella."

Edward sighed. "I know what happened that night. You suffered from the blood-lust that I felt. She was my singer, Jasper. I finally found out why I was much more drawn to her blood than the rest of you. I wish I could have stifled it. On top of everything else, you had to suffer from my blood-lust. It spiked the moment that first drop of blood welled to the surface. I'm so sorry that I did that to you. I know that you would have never lost it like that if I hadn't been fighting the urge to drain her myself."

"I know. But, Edward, do me a favor? Stop trying to control her. She's not yours anymore. You walked away from her ten years ago and look at what happened. We almost lost her because of that."

"You think I don't kick myself every single day for that? Jasper, I feel guilty every time I look at her. And it hurts to know that I'm the reason she can't talk now. That it might as well have been me that put those marks on her." He hung his head. "I want to be her friend but I'm still not sure that she's safe around me. It doesn't matter who she's with, she's still my singer. I'm terrified that she'll never be safe around me."

"Edward, she isn't your singer anymore. She's one of us. Not human. She's safe now. Safer than she ever could have been as a human." Jasper chuckled. "Especially considering the fact that she lacked any sense of self-preservation at all."

Edward couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered how she had been. Never afraid of anything the family had thrown at her. She hadn't even been afraid of the vampire that wanted to kill her. She had walked right into James' trap. It wasn't easy for him to sit in that hospital room and watch her suffer through the healing process. But now, yes, now she was safe.

And for her first year as one of them she would be stronger than even Emmett. It would be interesting to watch.

"How about this, Jasper? I will try to remember that she isn't my singer anymore. I will even try to keep in mind that she is your mate and not mine. But in exchange can you try to remember that I can't always turn off my gift and try to control your thoughts of what you would like to do with Bella?"

The two laughed and shook on the deal. Then, talk turned to other topics such as how to teach Bella about her new life.

* * *

As the four vampire women ran nimbly through the forest, Bella stayed out in front just enough to know that she was ahead and yet close enough to know that, should something go wrong, the other three could move quickly to intercept.

Esme, Rose and Alice were surprised at the amount of control Bella displayed for being a newborn. Jasper had told them how unpredictable newborns usually were and how volatile their tempers.

But Bella, as always broke all the rules. She was calm and collected. She ran as if she knew exactly what she was looking for as a meal.

As she ran she felt herself tremble with the thought of what Jasper may have had in mind when he promised to take care of her other problem when she got back. _'How are we going to do anything like that after what Mike did to me? Am I going to be able to be with Jasper like that? I mean, I want to be. I want to be a true mate to him now that I'm free of Mike and a vampire. I know that he'll be gentle. I just don't know how it's going to happen for us.'_

"Bella, dear, how far do you plan on running for your first hunt?" Esme called after about twenty minutes of running full-tilt.

Bella stopped running and signed to Esme, _"I want something specific."_ She stared up at the large cat laying on a branch in the tree directly above them. _'Hello, kitty.'_ And with that she leapt straight into the air all the way to the branch holding the obviously well-fed mountain lion.

With all the grace she now possessed, Bella snapped the cat's neck before settling on the branch to drain it dry before dropping it to the ground. She followed it and buried the remains.

 _'I'm ready to go home now.'_ She started back toward the house as soon as she finished signing.

Once they had arrived back at the house, Bella noticed Jasper standing in the yard with his shirt off. She noticed the scars and slowed down. Her instincts were screaming that this vampire was dangerous to which her mind was stating that this was Jasper and he would never hurt her.

Uncertain of how exactly to react to him, Bella walked up to him slowly, as if she were waiting for his reaction to her move. She held out one hand and gently traced one of his scars. Looking up into his eyes, she signed to him. _'Who did this to you? And why? Did you kill them for this?'_

"It was a long time ago, Bella. They were newborns who didn't know any better. And yes. Some of them were killed for this. They served as examples to the others that I was training."

 _'I wish I could have killed them for you.'_ The words meant so much to Jasper that, if he could have, he would have cried.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He couldn't seem to bring her close enough. He sighed, grateful that she wasn't afraid of him. Of his scars.

He pulled back for a moment. "Take a walk with me, darlin'?" She nodded, a smile creeping across her face. He smiled down at her and turned to Carlisle. "I don't know when we'll be back. We have a lot to talk about."

"I understand, Jasper. We'll be at the house when you get back." Carlisle was glad to see Jasper so calm and confident. It was as if he was a whole new person now that Bella was one of them.

Although no one was certain what to make of Edward and the fact that he seemed rather upset by the fact that Bella had been turned. He acted as if she were still in danger around them even though now, she was probably the safest of them all.

Jasper and Bella walked off into the forest, perfectly content in just holding each other's hands.

"Well, let's get back to the house and see if we can't get things set up for when the two of them get back. I don't want Bella to come back right in the middle of us cleaning up the house," Esme started, shooing everyone else in the direction of the house. "We have a lot of work to do.

"That we do, Esme. That we do." He turned around and looked at Edward who was staring off into the woods in the direction that Jasper and Bella went. "Come on, Edward. You can help us clean up the house after all the damage. We could use every pair of hands to be ready when Bella and Jasper come home."

Edward turned and sullenly followed the others back to the house to begin the clean up.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay folks. This is where the M rating comes into play. Please forgive me if it sounds weird. I don't normally write this type of stuff for others to read. Anything in Italics is signed.

* * *

Walking through the trees with her hand firmly in his, Jasper led Bella far away from his family, wanting to talk to her about so many different things. He watched her expression as she looked at everything through her new vampire eyes.

He understood that vampires saw things so much differently that humans did. So much more detail. So many more colors. Sometimes the sensations overwhelmed a newborn and drove them mad. It wasn't common but it did happen sometimes.

He was glad that it didn't seem to be happening to Bella. He would have destroyed anyone who even attempted to take her from him.

"Bella?"

 _'Yes?'_

"I know that some things about this relationship worry you. I expect that. Especially after what you've been through. I just want you to know that while I do want to be with you on every level, I understand that it will take some time to get to some of those levels. I don't want you to feel bad if we can't just jump into some aspects of the relationship between mates. Mates means that you don't push each other into things you aren't ready for. You tell me when you're ready for physical intimacy. Until then, I'm content to just sit and hold you or walk in the woods with you or whatever you feel comfortable with doing. As long as we're together."

 _'Thank you, Jasper. I really appreciate your understanding.'_

"I do understand. And if, at some point, we try anything and it makes you uncomfortable in the slightest, I want you to make sure I know and we'll stop. I promise you that."

Jasper wanted her so badly that he could taste it but he would never push her. Not after finding out what Mike Newton had done to her during the years that they had been gone.

She could have died in that house and no one would have been the wiser. Jasper had never thanked God enough for giving Alice the gift of foresight. It saved Bella's life. In a manner of speaking. She was safe now. Safer than she ever was as a human.

Mike couldn't touch her because he'd gone to prison for a very long stretch. And not just any prison. He went to a state mental facility because he started talking about vampires and werewolves and how he had to kill the vampires that took his wife and would kill her if he didn't save her.

Jasper hadn't told Bella about that because he knew that she would have felt bad for Mike. She would have blamed herself for not being a better wife, citing that as the reason he went around the bend. He didn't want her to feel that way. That wasn't good for her and he wouldn't put that on her shoulders if he could help it.

When Jasper felt like the two of them had gotten far enough away from the house, he gestured to her to have a seat on a fallen log. He sat down next to her and just held her hand for the longest time.

When they had sat there comfortably talking to each other for some time, he turned to her and pulled her in close. Very gently and slowly, giving her the chance to stop him, he leaned in and kissed her. Really kissed her. Tongue and all.

Bella gasped when she first felt Jasper's lips against hers. She gasped again when his tongue entered her mouth. She leaned further into the kiss and felt his hands pull her into his lap. One hand held her firmly on his lap while the other slid up under her shirt and touched her gently but firmly. She threw her head back and Jasper licked her neck as his hand massaged her breast, not hurting just arousing her every sense.

She felt her mouth moving, begging Jasper for more. She thrust her chest toward him, encouraging him to explore more. He smiled as he obliged her.

She felt his other hand slide into her pants to help hold her on his lap even better. She could feel the smile on his face as he pressed his lips against the skin of her neck. His teeth lightly grazed over the scars where he'd bitten her to change her.

Jasper helped her to stand up and then stood up himself. Slowly, he peeled the shirt from her body, admiring her as he went. The next step was that he pulled off his own shirt, exposing her to the scars again. She started tracing the scars that covered his chest and arms, no fear present in her emotions. Just love for him and the wish that she could have been there to protect him when the newborns went after him.

"Bella, they don't hurt. I consider them a badge of honor. Most of the vampires of the Southern Wars didn't survive as long as I did. I consider it an honor that I survived to find you after all this time. And for me to have such a beautiful mate is a miracle in and of itself."

 _'I have scars too.'_

"Your scars are also badges of honor. You survived everything Mike threw at you and still came out stronger on the other side. You survived when so many others would have given up and taken themselves out of this life in order to escape it." He kissed one of the scars she had spoken of. "Your scars are beautiful. Mine are a warning to those who don't know me. A warning that I am dangerous."

 _'Maybe to others. Not to me. Or those you care for.'_

"True. True. I could never be dangerous to you. You have been entrusted to me for all time. I will never let you go." He sucked in a breath when she ran her tongue over one of the scars on his back. "Bella, you're playin' with fire, darlin'. I don't think you realize what you do to me."

Bella walked back around to his front and smiled at him. _'Why don't you tell me what I do to you?'_

"I'll show you instead." He took her hand and placed it over the hardened rod of flesh inside his jeans. She shyly started stroking the rod under her hand, feeling it get harder and longer. "That feels good, darlin'. Real good." He inhaled deeply. "I think you could finish me off without even taking it out of my jeans. You are so beautiful." He leaned in and kissed her again. This time, she matched him stroke for stroke with her tongue.

He pulled her in close to him and she felt his bare chest against hers. She reveled in the feeling.

It was so different than when it had been forced on her as a human. Panic started rising in her chest but she buried her face in Jasper's neck and inhaled deeply. Jasper. Safety. Love. Gentleness. Kindness. Strength but controlled. The panic faded out.

He turned his mouth to her ear. "Good. Good. I felt the panic start and then you nuzzled my neck and it faded away, didn't it?" She nodded, glad that he hadn't stopped just because she felt that fear starting up. "I would have if you hadn't done what you did and allowed me to feel how it changed. I don't ever want you to be afraid of what we have together. It will be intense sometimes. There is just no way around that. But know this, I will keep my urges under control if you get scared. I won't die just because we have to stop during something if you get that scared. I promise. You just have to let me know when you feel too scared to continue. Don't hide it from me. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

She continued stroking the length of him inside his jeans. _'I want him to have his fun. That's what I want.'_

"Bella, sweetheart, don't make me waste this. I want to show you...AAaahhh!" Bella felt the moisture soaking through his jeans and smiled up at him. "I think it's time for a little payback for that one." He smiled at her to let her know that she had nothing to fear.

Focusing everything he knew about emotions and the effects they could and would have on the physical body, Jasper opened up and let his ability flow. Bella started trembling. She was feeling it. She wasn't sure if there was a word for _it_ that she would be comfortable using but she was definitely feeling it.

She felt the warmth flood her panties and her knees buckled. She would forever thank God for Jasper's vampiric reflexes. Otherwise, she would have hit her head on the ground and while it wouldn't have done any true damage, it would have seriously ruined the mood. She snuggled into his arms as he pulled her into his lap, nestling her head on his shoulder.

"I think I could fall asleep quite easily like this. If we could sleep," Jasper whispered into her ear.

She lifted her head enough to look him in the eyes. "So could I."

Her voice was harsh from disuse. But it was the song of an angel to Jasper. The smile that spread across his face was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. She lifted her head to look Jasper in the eyes. "Say something else, darlin'. Anything. Just say something."

"I love you, Jasper. You're my Sweet Southern Comfort." She heard her own voice. It was a miracle. The change had fixed her larynx. Carlisle had been right. It had just taken a little extra time. She smiled at Jasper and kissed his lips. "Carlisle was right. He was right. It just took a little more time for the change to fix my larynx." She kissed him again.

Bella felt a heat spread over her and she stood up, pulling Jasper with her. She leaned in and kissed him with every bit of feeling she had for him.

When she let him go, she stepped back and reached for her waistband. She looked up at him and he nodded. "If it feels good to you, darlin', you do whatever you feel like doing."

She undid the jeans that Alice had given her to put on after the change finished before her first hunt. Sliding them down her legs along with her panties that Alice had handed her, she watched Jasper watch her most appreciatively. She noticed that the length in his jeans was growing again. She looked at it intently and licked her lips. She wanted that and Jasper could feel it.

"You can have whatever you want from me, Bella. Just come and get it. Don't think about it. Just do it and enjoy the feelings. I don't mind."

When Bella was totally naked, she walked toward Jasper with a bit of a sway to her hips that made him just want to reach out, grab her and bend her over the log they'd been sitting on before slamming home into her and showing her just how intensely he loved her.

He managed to keep control of himself though. He wanted this one to be all about her. He watched as she reached out a hand and then pulled it back as if she were embarrassed by her forward actions. "You can do this, darlin'. There is nothing to be afraid of. I told you to take the lead. You do whatever feels good to you."

She reached out her hand again and rubbed over the rod in his jeans, watching as he flung his head back and moaned in pleasure.

She smiled as she rubbed a little harder, feeling the flesh grow and harden. She put both hands on the button of his jeans and then looked up at him, chewing on her bottom lip. He smiled and nodded at her. She undid his jeans and began sliding them down his legs.

When she looked back up at him, there was a long, hard shaft in the way of her seeing his face. She cupped it with both hands. "It's so big," she gasped.

"It's not so bad, darlin'. It'll fit. You stretch." He smiled at her. "And the best part is we'll have to play around and stretch you each time."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "You'll always feel nice and tight around me. It'll feel real good for both of us."

She started stroking him gently gradually tightening her grip as he moaned in pleasure. "Should I take that as an invitation to continue, Jasper?"

"Darlin', if you stop now, I will have to punish you."

She smiled up at him. "Punish me? Are you sure you want to go there, Jasper?"

Jasper was truly surprised. Bella hadn't taken his words wrong. The memories of Mike punishing her didn't even raise their head. He knew they would eventually and he had to keep his head in the game to help her through those times. He couldn't afford to lose himself in the moment. To do so meant that he might not be able to help her. It would be a long hard battle but he was certain that in the end they would win. He wouldn't accept anything less than a victory in that arena. He would see Bella through the troubles and watch her bloom into the woman she was always meant to be.

Bella stroked him again. Then, he watched as she bent her head and kissed the tip of him ever so gently. "May I?"

"Do you want to?"

"I'd like to try."

"By all means. I would like to see you try."

She opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around him like she would a candy cane. His head dropped back and a gasp of sheer delight escaped him.

Bella pulled back suddenly, worried that she had hurt him. "Open your mind, Bella. You didn't hurt me. That gasp was me feeling good. I was enjoying that. You, my love, are very good at that."

"I didn't have a choice but to learn how. It was one of Mike's favorite ways to punish me. At least, it was until I learned how to pretend that I enjoyed it with him. Then he stopped. I guess he didn't want me to enjoy it."

"Probably not. But you are good at it and if you want to do that, I want you to. But only if you want to."

She rested her head against his leg and blinked back the tears of joy she felt welling up in her eyes at his understanding, even though she knew that vampires didn't produce tears.

"Are you okay, Bella?" he asked, concerned when she sniffled.

"I'll be fine. I'm just not used to being treated like this. It's going to take time for me to get used to it."

"All the time you need, you can have. I have nothing but time, darlin'. And now so do you." He smiled down at her and cupped one hand to her cheek. "We have all kinds of time to get used to having each other around and being free to love each other in whatever way we want to."

She smiled up at him and then licked his length like an ice cream cone. Jasper's head dipped forward and he closed his eyes, just enjoying the feeling of his woman loving him. He allowed the feelings he felt to flow out and wash over Bella so that she could enjoy it right along with him.

She shuddered with the feeling and once again wrapped her lips around the tip of him, suckling like a child with a lollipop. She felt the sensations building in him and had the sudden desire to see him reach the pinnacle and topple over it.

Jasper reached out one hand and threaded it through her hair. A slight tug was her only warning that he was getting close. He wanted so badly to stop her so that he could make her his in the ultimate way of their kind. But she was determined to finish him off with her mouth this time. He could feel her determination in her emotions.

"I'll let you have your way this time. But for the next round, I'm in charge," he growled as he felt the edge approaching at breakneck speed.

She pulled her mouth away and smiled up at him. "I think I could come to like it when you take charge like that, Major." He wanted to kiss that smirk right off her face.

"For now, finish your fun so that I can have mine afterwards."

She leaned back in and slid her mouth back over him, in awe of how easy everything was with him. How natural it all felt.

Jasper's head fell back and a roar left his mouth as his seed cascaded down Bella's throat just moments later.

When he finished up, she gently licked him clean and stayed at his feet, content with the way she felt for having done what she did.

He dropped to his knees beside her. "That, darlin', was possibly the finest lovin' anyone has ever given me. And it meant all the more to me for the fact that you did it after everything that's been done to you. Thank you." And he kissed her.

As they kissed, he gently lay her back in the grass. His lips trailed to her neck and she moved her head so that he could reach her entire neck.

He left a trail of kisses down her neck and across her chest until he reached her breasts and started suckling at them, making her squirm in the grass. He smiled up at her as he held one breast in his mouth and reached one hand down between them to touch her in her most private place. Bella felt her orgasm wash over her immediately.

Her back arched off the ground and she screamed in pleasure.

Jasper let go of her breast and sat up for a moment, letting Bella relax for a minute before starting in again. When she looked up at him from where she lay on the ground, he took his fingers from where they had been and licked each one clean as a whistle. "Tasty. I think I should have some more." He smiled at her again as he bent his head to the place his fingers had just been.

His tongue speared deep and Bella threw her head back with a gasp as she felt every bit of pleasure he could inflict on her.

Bella felt her next orgasm flood her system as she screamed again in pleasure, glad that as a vampire she no longer had to worry about going hoarse. She wanted everyone to know just how wonderful a lover Jasper was. That thought was promptly followed by a feeling of guilt for having taken Jasper from Alice.

"No guilt, Bella."

"But you and Alice were together for so long. I can't help feeling guilty for taking you from her."

"There is no need."

"But -"

Jasper put a finger over her lips. "I said there's no need. Alice and I have known for years that we aren't each other's true mate. But we stayed together in order to stave off the loneliness that was waiting if we had stayed single all this time. And my mental state was not exactly conducive to staying alone like that." Bella just looked at him as if she didn't understand. "You know a little of my story?"

Bella shook her head. "All Edward would ever tell me is that you were dangerous. That you were new to the vegetarian diet and were having a lot of trouble with it."

Jasper sat up and pulled her into his arms once they got dressed. "Let me tell you my story. Then, you'll understand why I say what I did. I know that you know about my military service when I was human." Bella nodded and Jasper proceeded to explain to her how he had become a vampire and what Maria had put him through for years after he was turned. He told her about Peter and Charlotte and how much they had helped him maintain his fragile grip on sanity.

He noticed the anger and hatred she felt toward Maria and the gratitude for Peter and Charlotte. He couldn't be happier that she didn't try to hide her feelings from him. She let him feel everything that she felt. It was so refreshing. Everyone else had always tried to protect him from the darker emotions they felt. He didn't want that. He wanted to be allowed to know all of it. It was the only way to know the truth.

The two of them sat together on the ground with their backs against a fallen tree for the longest time just talking about their pasts and the future they could have together.


	3. Chapter 3

As the two talked, they didn't really notice the sun going down and the darkness rolling in. Suddenly, Jasper's phone rang. "Who could that be?" he wondered, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Jasper, are you bringing Bella home tonight? Or are you planning on staying out away from the house all night?" Esme's voice brought both Bella and Jasper back to the current moment as they realized just how late it was getting.

"Jasper, do you remember how to get back to the house? I'm afraid I wasn't exactly paying attention as we walked out here." Bella sounded just a little worried. Jasper moved quickly to comfort her.

"Was that Bella? Is she saying she's lost?" Esme's tone betrayed her worry for the youngest of her children.

"I'll make sure she gets home okay, Esme. I promise. I'll let you go now so that I can bring her back to the house. Don't worry."

"I always worry about all of you. You're my children and I will always worry about you when you aren't at home."

Esme hung up and Jasper put his phone back in his pocket. Then, he climbed to his feet and held out a hand to Bella. She took it and he helped to pull her to her feet.

"It's okay, Bella. I remember exactly how to get home. I'll get you there with no problem." He hugged her for a moment, attempting to calm her fears. "I promise. We'll be back at the house in no time. You'll see."

Taking her hand, he walked with her. "Use the gifts you now have. Your eyes can see quite well in the dark. Let them do the work. You'll be amazed at the difference between seeing things at night and seeing them during the day."

Bella looked around and, just as Jasper had promised, everything looked vastly different at night compared to during the day.

Suddenly, out of the dark, a huge figure loomed up at them. Bella simply reacted and took the arm that reached for her and threw it. "AHHHHHH!" yelled a familiar voice as the shadow flew through the air and landed against a tree.

"Oh God! Emmett? Emmett, is that you?" Bella stammered.

"Emmett, I warned you about sneaking up on a newborn. Did you listen?"

"I figured Bella would look first," Emmett whined.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You knew we were out here. You know that newborns are not always in complete control of themselves. What part of that didn't you get the first twelve times I explained it to you?"

"Don't be mean, Jasper. We all heard Bella's scream back at the house and I decided to come out and make sure that it really was her and not someone else out here getting hurt." He looked at Bella. "Did the change really fix your voice, Bella? Say something. Anything."

"You big lout! I ought to kick your -"

"Now. Now, Bella. Watch the language please." The smile on his face as he mock scolded her brought a smile to her face too.

"Yes. The change fixed my voice. Are you happy?"

"Yee-haw!" Emmett whooped. He picked up Bella and spun her around in circles. "I'm so happy for you, sis! This is awesome news!"

"Emmett, please put her down. She's still young and I would very much like to see her stay in one piece."

Emmett set Bella back on her feet and wrapped her in a big bear hug. Bella returned it, smiling when he grunted from the force of her hug. "I guess I forgot how strong newborns were." He smiled at Jasper. "I won't forget again. Not with Bella here to remind me."

"I'm sorry I threw you, Emmett. Forgive me?" Bella asked with the puppy dog eyes in full force when he let her go.

"Awww, Bells! I could never stay mad at you. And I wasn't mad at you anyway. Jasper's right. He told me repeatedly that I shouldn't surprise you and yet I did it. I deserved what I got." He smirked. "Besides, now you can tell everyone that you got me. Rosie'll get a kick out of that story."

"Peter will get a kick out of that story. I can't wait to call him and tell him about it. He'll probably think that he needs to come up here and test her. Of course, he won't go full out unless he's instructed to. He's very good at following orders." Jasper seemed quite happy that he would have something to hold over Emmett's head for a while. Bella stepped to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling in before they started walking toward the house.

Emmett walked along with them until he got within sight of the house and then he took off on a run. They saw him arrive at the back door where Rosalie was waiting on the porch. He picked her up and spun her around before kissing her solidly.

"Rosalie hates me," Bella said sadly.

"No she doesn't. She never had the chance to tell you her story. Ask her. She'll explain why she seemed to hate you so much before you were changed. But know this, she spoke up when Edward tried to keep us from changing you as you lay dying in front of us. She told him that he had no say in the matter anymore and that he needed to step back and let me make the decision. She felt that, since you and I were so close now, it was my call whether to change you and save your life."

Bella looked at Jasper incredulously. "Really?"

He nodded. "She wanted to see you changed rather than die. She knows that you are my mate. And she knows that you make me a better person." He sighed. "She'll have to tell you her story and then you'll understand. You'll understand why she doesn't truly hate you."

"I'll ask her about that. Thank you, Jazz." Bella reached up and kissed Jasper's cheek.

"Anytime, darlin'. Anytime." He took her hand and the two of them started toward the house.

Arriving back at the house, Esme stood on the back porch. "There you two are. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it back here before sun up." She hugged Bella. "How do you feel, Bella?"

"I feel fine, Esme. Thank you." Esme's eyes looked like they would overflow with venom tears. She was so happy to see that Bella's voice had returned.

"Did you find enough to eat?"

"I did. Jasper made sure that I hunted enough to satisfy me. And then Emmett comes along and tries to scare me." She turned and glowered at Emmett for a moment and then turned back to Esme. "Of course, I paid it back. Grabbed the arm he had out and threw him into a tree. I also made him wince when I hugged him afterward."

Rose laughed out loud. "Someone finally got you, did they, sweetheart? I always warned you that one day your – enthusiasm would come back to bite you on the butt."

"Rosie, do you have to laugh at me about this? It's embarrassing."

"And totally your own fault," Rose crowed. She turned to Bella. "Good job. Maybe now he'll listen to me and pay a little more attention." Rose walked over and hugged Bella. Then she looked deep into her new sister's eyes. "So when do I get to start planning a wedding between you and Jasper?"

"Rosalie, we just got together. Give us some time to get to know one another." Jasper's words didn't fall on deaf ears.

"I know that, Jasper. But we don't want to wait too long to plan this thing. After all, with as beautiful as Bella is, what's to say that someone else won't come along and try to steal her away from you?"

"Anyone who knows my reputation wouldn't even try to take her from me. They would know what would happen."

"And that, my dear Major, is exactly what we want to happen," came a different voice, one Bella hadn't heard in a while. She turned around.

"Peter! Char!" she exclaimed before running at both of them and hugging each in turn. Jasper watched in amusement as she hugged both of the vampires in front of her as if it had been years since she last saw them instead of just a matter of weeks.

"It hasn't been that long, has it, Sugar?" Peter asked, his Texas drawl coming through clear as day. He was pretending that he hadn't noticed that her voice was back and Bella didn't seem to notice that he wasn't paying that point any attention. Peter noticed that part.

"Oh, Peter!" Bella cried, her eyes glistening with tears that could never fall. She had missed him when he and Char left after her divorce went through. "You don't know what happened after you left!"

"What? Did Elvis return from the dead? Or are you going to tell me that I missed some actual excitement?"

"Victoria came after me. She had my ex-husband with her and a crazed wolf. The wolf went after Jasper and Victoria was going to kill me. But Jasper won his fight and took out Victoria."

"One thing that worried me about that fight is the fact that she mentioned Maria," Jasper said. "She mentioned that Maria still talked about me. I just hope this isn't a sign that Maria is still trying to get me back in her clutches."

"Maria will never give up until you are back under her control, Major. You know that." Peter turned to Bella. "Bella, is there something you haven't told us yet?"

She looked at him, confused.

Char caught on. "I don't hear her heartbeat anymore." She looked at Bella. "When were you changed?"

"She just woke up today. We had to change her after the attack. Victoria forced her to hit her head on the wall, splitting the skin. Then, I had to use a good dose of lethargy to get the upper hand. I had started tearing her apart when Jake burst in and told me to get out. When I tried to get Bella, he threw me out a window and finished tearing Victoria apart. Then, he kicked in Carlisle's door and found Bella unconscious. I had neglected to focus the lethargy on only Victoria. Bella had gotten hit with it too. And she would have died if we hadn't changed her."

"Jasper, I know we haven't discussed this but I'm only going to say this one time. Me being changed was not your fault. I blame Victoria, Mike, that wolf, and Maria. It's their fault that I became one of you so soon."

"You don't even know Maria and yet you feel comfortable laying the blame on her shoulders?" Peter asked. He was amazed. Few were willing to risk the warlord's wrath. And Maria didn't tend to like it when people blamed her for things, even when she was completely to blame for the situation. But Bella didn't seem to care if Maria got upset over that or not. She blamed Maria and Peter could tell by her tone of voice that that was all there was to say about it.

"I don't care about her. I care about Jasper and what she did to him was beyond wrong. What she did to you and Char was beyond wrong too. And I don't care if she likes the fact that I blame her for that or not. It is her fault and that is all I have to say about it."

Peter stared at Bella for a moment then started to laugh. And not just a small chuckle either but a full blown belly laugh. He looked over at Jasper. "Major, I said it before and I'll say it again. I like this woman. She's got spirit. Lord help you if you ever piss her off."

Char wrapped an arm around Bella's shoulder and smiled at her. "Don't let him get to you. He never grew up."

"Perpetual PPS." Bella nodded as she agreed with Char. At that point everyone else standing there broke into great peals of laughter, even Carlisle. Everyone was surprised that both Carlisle and Esme were laughing so hard.

"Carlisle, do you and Esme understand what perpetual PPS is?" Bella asked.

"Perpetual Peter Pan Syndrome," Carlisle nodded with a smile. "Definitely Peter's problem."

Peter stopped laughing for a moment and then realized what Bella and Char had accused him of. Then he smiled. "I can't say you're wrong, ladies."

Bella laughed. "That's the first time I've seen someone not get offended at that comment."

"Well, that's Peter for you. Never does what's proper and expected," Jasper said, wrapping Bella in a hug.

She leaned into the hug and just enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in Jasper's arms. It felt like the safest place she could be.

None of them could have guessed what was coming.


End file.
